While working on a high-traffic application, I discovered the power of PostgreSQL's functions and stored procedures. Moving certain operations to the database level not only improved performance but also simplified our application logic.
The key advantage is reducing round trips between the application and database. Instead of fetching data, processing it in the application, and sending it back, we can perform complex operations right where the data lives. This is particularly powerful for reporting and analytics workflows.
However, it's important to maintain a balance. While database functions can significantly improve performance, they can also make your system harder to test and maintain if overused. The key is identifying the right use cases where the benefits outweigh the added complexity.